De Zerbi thinking of fifth as Brighton go to Leicester
Have you looked at the Premier League table recently? It is bloody frightening. Victory at Leicester City will lift Brighton into fifth (yes, 5th) spot and with games in hand still on Spurs and Fulham, the two sides they will leapfrog to go fifth (yes, 5th).
This is frightening because with each passing game, European football is becoming a more distinct possibility for the Albion in 2023-24.
And I cannot stop thinking of that bloke overheard in the West Upper at full time of Brighton 3-0 Liverpool last week, who spoke for many of us when he said: “My wife will divorce me when I am sleeping on the streets of Tirana next season… and I don’t care.”
Break up rates could well rocket across the Sussex area when family holidays are canned in favour of trips to Albania, Kazakhstan, Moldova and anywhere else that the Europa League or Conference might throw up.
Not that it is Roberto De Zerbi’s job to worry about any of that. He made it very clear in his pre-Leicester press conference that he has only one thing on his mind.
“I’m very happy with how we are playing at the moment, but Liverpool is the past. I only have Leicester in my head. If we win, we go fifth. I’m only thinking of this.”
De Zerbi is aiming for Europe. It is a refreshing change in mentality from Graham Potter, who wanted Albion fans to be grateful and hail him as a genius for any point gained in the Premier League.
A 0-0 draw at home to rock bottom Norwich City? Well, they are a quality side and everyone needed to be grateful that Glow Up had masterminded a point from them, even if it extended a run of games without a goal at the Amex to three months.
There was more from De Zerbi. Of even greater interest than his continued belief that European football will come to Brighton was his assertion that this Albion side – already playing the best, most entertaining stuff in the club’s history – have more to deliver.
“We are progressing, but I think we are around 60 percent of our potential right now.” 60 percent?! Fucking hell.
If Brighton can stick three goals past Liverpool (twice), Southampton and Wolves; four past Everton and Chelsea; and five past Middlesbrough who are no Championship slouches, what can they do when they reach 70, 80, 90 or 100 percent?
For the second time in our Leicester v Brighton match preview, we have to whip out the word frightening. Premier League title, here we come.
Leicester of course know a thing or two about winning trophies as an unfancied, smaller club. League champions in 2016 and FA Cup winners as recently as 2021, the Foxes are going through something of a stagnant patch despite being supremely well-run.
There are lessons there for Brighton, that it is incredibly hard to compete year-on-year towards the top of the table without continually strengthening the playing side.
Leicester were unfortunate to miss out on Champions League football in 2019-20 and 2020-21, since when they have slipped back down the league to find themselves in a relegation battle.
Investment in Brendan Rodgers’ squad has dried up with the Foxes hit particularly hard by a combination of the pandemic and their desire to redevelop the King Power Stadium.
Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has been open and honest enough with Leicester fans to say the club are being more prudent as a result, whilst also trying adapt their model so that commercial revenue increases.
After spending just £15 million on a single addition in the summer transfer window, he wrote in the Leicester matchday programme: “First and foremost, Leicester City’s overall financial position is entirely secure and underpinned by my ongoing personal commitment and that of my family.”
“The club is as safe in our hands as it has been every day for the last 12 years. It’s our commitment to that responsibility that drives every decision we make.”
“Sometimes, that commitment means making difficult, short-term decisions that protect the club’s long-term interests, such as our approach to this summer’s transfer window.”
“Building the club to a level where we are less reliant on player trading takes good management; strategic, sustainable investment; success on the pitch; and time,”
“The visible growth of our commercial revenue streams demonstrates that we are moving in the right direction, but the impact of the pandemic has been undeniable.”
It is no secret that spending money can get you places in the Premier League. But Rodgers recently put forward another another reason as to why Leicester find themselves embroiled in a relegation battle, which again is something that should be of interest to Brighton.
“I think that if someone doesn’t want to be here or someone wants too much money to be here, we have to be brave enough to say, ‘listen, thank you very much and on you go’, because we are not a club with masses of resources that can facilitate every single player’s need, especially from a financial side.”
“A number of these guys are down to their last year [in their contracts]. We said before we’d like them to stay but there has to be a point in time when what they want is too demanding for us as a club and if the time is right, they have to move on, then we have to do that and then look forward.”
Rodgers was suggesting that keeping players who were wanted by other clubs – such as Arsenal target Youri Tielemans and Çaglar Soyuncu who has been linked with Atletico Madrid – has given Leicester a squad not giving their all because they are no longer totally committed to the Foxes.
De Zerbi dealt with a similar situation involving Leandro Trossard by leaving the Vampire of Genk out of the side and then selling him to Arsenal for £27 million after he dropped tools.
The trouble Rodgers has is that so many Leicester players have angled for moves or are out of contract in the summer that if he were to drop every one, he would struggle to get a team out.
Tielemans, Soyuncu, Daniel Amartey, Ryan Bertrand, Jonny Evans, Papy Mendy and Ayoze Perez have all failed to sign new deals to remain at the King Power.
Treat all seven as De Zerbi treated Trossard and Leicester’s current predicament towards the bottom of the table would potentially become even worse.
One unhappy player not giving 100 percent can be dealt with. If Brighton were to keep Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister, Robert Sanchez, Kaoru Mitoma… basically, a host of individuals attracting big-money interest in the summer all against their will, then it risks destabilising the wider club.
And that is why Tony Bloom is clever, knowing exactly when to sell and to maximise profit on those players who do want to test themselves at a bigger club and higher level.
Brighton may yet be able to deliver that higher level themselves, if De Zerbi’s aim of European football comes off. To do so, Leicester away is the sort of game which the Albion have to win.
The King Power has not been the kindest venue since Brighton won promotion to the Premier League in 2017. They are yet to win there; in fact, the Albion’s only three points away at Leicester in the past 19 years came when the Foxes squad were severely hungover after celebrating their crowning as Championship champions in 2014.
Brighton rocked up and won a game which was pointless to Leicester 4-1. Leonardo Ulloa scored twice with his performance so good that it convinced the Foxes to buy him from the Albion a few months later.
Other than that, you have to go back to 2004 to find the last time a Brighton side came away from Leicester with three points. Adam Virgo scored his first goal since Mark McGhee had been using him as a centre forward, securing a surprise 1-0 victory on August Bank Holiday Monday.
Games away against the Foxes are rarely dull. In 1994, Jimmy Case got sent off for being deaf and Stuart Munday scored a 35 yard screamer as Division Two Brighton shocked Premier League Leicester 2-0 in the second round of the League Cup.
In 2009, the Albion had to wear Leicester’s yellow away kit after the chickens came home to roost on Dick Knight’s decision to have a blue and white home shirt, a yellow and blue away shirt and a sky blue third choice shirt.
2012 saw Ashley Barnes and Tomasz Kuszczak have a punch up on the pitch at full time after Barnes had missed a penalty and the rebound.
Last time Brighton went to the King Power, there was that late equaliser from Danny Welbeck when Bjorn Hamberg was in caretaker charge after Potter and Billy Reid were struck down by Covid.
Who knows what will happen this time? One thing is for sure though – given the respective seasons Brighton and Leicester are enjoying so far, the Albion will not have a better chance of securing a rare win away against the Foxes.
And that would lift Brighton into fifth (5th) in the table. Frightening.
